1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept generally relates to providing a waste toner collecting structure of an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to providing a waste toner collecting structure of an image forming apparatus that inhales waste toner, which flows into a waste toner transfer path, into a cyclone collector to collect the waste toner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a conventional image forming apparatus using an electronic picture process includes a photosensitive medium cleaning unit that removes waste toner that is not transferred from a photosensitive medium and remains in the photosensitive medium.
The photosensitive medium cleaning unit includes a cleaning member that physically cleans a surface of the photosensitive medium and a plurality of waste toner and a plurality of waste toner exhaust parts that collect waste toner scrapped by the cleaning member and exhausts the collected waste toner into a waste toner collecting container.
The plurality of waste toner exhaust parts include transfer screws to be delivered waste toner scrapped by the cleaning member without being agglomerated. The plurality of waste toner exhaust parts respectively include exhaust holes to exhaust waste toner and single or double shutters to open and/or close the exhaust holes.
However, since an existing waste toner collecting structure depends on the single or double shutters and sealing structures around the single or double shutters, the existing waste toner collecting structure prevents pollution caused by waste toner, depending on only the single or double shutters installed in the waste toner exhaust parts and the sealing parts around the single or double shutters. In other words, the existing waste toner collecting structure varies depending on gaps and step differences between the single or double shutters and structures around the single or double shutters to prevent pollution of the waste toner.
If mechanical gaps and step differences exist in the exhaust holes of the waste toner exhaust parts, waste toner, which is to be collected into the waste toner collecting container due to self-load, is not collected into the waste toner collecting container and frequently remains around the single or double shutters. Also, if a speed of installing and removing the waste toner collecting container is fast, the single or double shutters are not completely closed the exhaust holes, and the waste toner leaks into the exhaust holes.
As described above, a gap and a step difference in an attachable and/or detachable structure that is mechanically not a single component may complicate design of a mechanical structure of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, surroundings of an image forming apparatus may be polluted due to waste toner.